Former Newcastle and Tottenham star Chris Waddle says Jonjo Shelvey is the ‘best he’s seen’ at passing the ball at distance, and has backed the midfielder to be given his shot in the international stage.
England qualified for the World Cup last night with a drab 1-0 victory over Slovenia at Wembley, a late Harry Kane rescuing what would have otherwise been an eventless evening.
The Three Lions performance however left plenty to be admired, and Waddle believes Shelvey could be the man to add some much needed spark to Gareth Southgate’s lacklustre midfield.
“People knock me down when I say it, but Jonjo Shelvey is the best I’ve seen at passing the ball at distance,” Waddle told BBC Radio 5Live.
“(England) Performances over the last two or three games are not good enough to do well in Russia.” he added.
“There is a lot of work to be done. We definitely need to find a quality midfield player who has got a range of passing which can help this side.”
Shelvey already has six England caps to his name, and although many would be of the opinion he should be given the nod in Southgate’s next squad, Waddle urges fans of the midfielder not to hold their breath.
“He won’t get in the squad,” he said, “for reasons we don’t know.”
